Doll having gravity-actuated changeable eyes and denture arrays

ABSTRACT

An animated doll having a hollow body and a head with eye and mouth openings with mechanism therebehind for displaying different successive arrangements of eyeballs and dentures giving the doll a variety of facial expressions. The actuating mechanism can be actuated manually by an operating lever or set in automated operation by gravity responsive drive mechanism including a concealed pendulum. When the removable top is detached, the unitary animating mechanism can be withdrawn as a unit.

United" States Patent 1191; Marble DOLL HAVING (iRAVITY-ACTUATED CHANGEABLE EYES AND DENTURE ARRAYS [76] Inventor: Orlin G. Marble, 1216 S. Garfield,

Alhambra, Calif.

[22] Filed: Sept. 7, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 178,009

[52] Cl 46/135 R, 40/l06.32 [51] Int. Cl A63h 13/00 [58] Field of Search 46/135 R, 169 B;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,160,080 11/1915 Sto ..46/135R 1,821,243 9/1931 Springer 46/135 R 2,954,639 10/1960 Walss 46/135 R X 1,395,984 11/1921 McCrosky 46/169 B 1,606,354 11/1926 Fillion 46/116 9/1918 McCrosky 46/169 B June 12, 1973 3,404,483 10/1968 Gardel et al. 46/135 R 3,270,450 9/1966 Flum 40/51 X 1,385,194 7/1921 Waithman 40/51 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 672,206 10/1964 Italy 46/120 45,356 5/1935 France 1. 46/135 Primary Examiner-F. Barry Shay Attorney-W. D. Sellers and George A. Brace [57] ABSTRACT 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures DOLL HAVING GRAVITY-ACTUATEI) CHANGEAB'LE EYES AND DENTURE ARRAYS This invention relates to animated dolls and more particularly to a novel doll exhibiting different-facial expressions by internal mechanism presenting different sets of eyeballs and dentures behind openings in the face area. i

Various proposals have been made heretofore for animated dolls having changeable expressions suitable for entertaining and stimulating the interest of children. However, these have certain deficiencies sought to be avoided by the present invention. For example, these prior constructions have limited capabilities and utilize unnecessarily complex mechanism subject to frequent malfunctioning and non-functioning. For the most part these prior devices include provision for changing only the eye expression and lack provision for changing the denture structure constituting such an important aspect of the facial expression. Also lacking in theprior art is any means for the automatic operation including provision for maintaining a particular expression fixed for a brief interval followed by rapid change to a different fixed expression.

Accordingly and in view of the foregoing and other shortcomings characterizing the prior art, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a simple, ruggedly constructed animated doll having a compact, unitary operating mechanism supporting different arrays of eyes and dentures operable selectively by manual control or by gravity responsive means to provide a wide variety of different facial expressions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an animated doll having a removable wall portion through which the animation mechanism is insertable as a unit and utilizing space within the body to enclose gravity responsive pendulum drive mechanism for indexing different sets of eyes and dentures into positionbehind facial openings.

Another object ofthe invention is the provision of either manual or pendulum actuated mechanism for indexing different eyeballs and different dentures successively into stationary position behind facial openings.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith'the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention showing one of the many facial expressions;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 22 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the broken line 3-3 on FIG. 1; and

'snug frictional that 13 with the top portion of the head or it may be secured in place by threads, fasteners-or any suitable means.

The head includes a face having a pair of eye openings '14 and a crescent shaped mouth opening 15 through which different pairs of eyes and dentures may be viewed as these are indexed into position by the animation mechanism housed within the head and designated generally 18.

Mechanism 18 includes a U-shaped main frame 19 (FIG. 2) secured to a flange projecting inwardly from the opposite sides of the head, as by screws 21. Main frame 19 supports a shaft 23 on which the bevelled gears 24,24 are loosely mounted for rotation in opposite directions by a common driving bevel gear 25. Another bevelled spur gear 26 similar to gear 25 is held loosely assembled by screw 27 to a block 28 in which shaft 23 is journalled. Coupled to gear 26 and rotating therewith is a disc 29 supporting several distinctive and different arrays of dentures 30 some of which includes flexible tongue-representing tang 31. This ring of denturesis mounted for indexing past the mouth opening 15 in the manner best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Each arrayof dentures includes differently contoured and colored teeth and some of these include a tongue 31 while other arrays do not.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 2, it will be seen that, attached to the exterior side of the bevelled gears 24, are rings 33 having fixed to their outer peripheries closely spaced separate arrays of differently designed eyeballs 34,34. At least eight different eyeballs are present in the embodiment illustrated. As will be readily recognized from FIG. 2, the bevelled gear drive for these eyeballs operates to rotate the separate arrays of eyeballs in opposite directions.

The drive mechanism for the eyeballs and dentures is best illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 as including a ratchet'wheel 35 fixed to shaft 36 and to the drive gear 25. Loosely supported on shaft 36 is an operating lever 37 supporting a pawl 38 pressed by a light spring 39 against the toothed rim of the ratchet wheel. The upper end of the operating lever 37 projects outwardly through slot 40 in the removable top 12 for the doll and supports a tassel 41 on its outer end. If desired, a very light tension spring 43 has one end connected to lever 37 and the other to main frame 19 by lug 44 and screw 21. The main purpose of this spring is to hold arm 37 normally stationary and in a predetermined position. However, the spring may be disconnected if desired. Arm 37 extends downwardly into the interior of the dolls body and supports a pendulum weight 45 which is highly effective in operating the ratchet mechanism to index the eyeballs and dentures into successive positions periodically as determined by the natural operating frequency of the pendulum.

The operation of the described doll will be quite apparant from the foregoing description of its components. Whenever the doll is moved, pendulum 45 will swing to and fro about the axis of shaft 36 causing pawl 38 to engage the teeth of ratchet gear 35 as the pendulum swings counterclockwise. Clockwise movement of the ratchet wheel is prevented by the light spring 48 (FIG. 4). Spring 39 permits the pawl 38 to cam over the ratchet teeth.

It will therefore be recognized that the eyes and the dentures remain stationary except when the pendulum or the operating lever 37 pivots to the left as viewed in FIG. 4. During this movement the several gears 24,25 and 26 index another set of eyeballs and another set of dentures into position opposite eye openings 14 and mouth opening 15. The new sets of these components exhibit a distinctly different facial appearance and expression, an effect accomplished without need for manipulating any knob or lever but simply by imparting shock or sudden movement to the dolls body as a whole adequate to operate pendulum 37,45. Alternatively, the child may operate the mechanism to change the dolls expression by shifting the upper end of lever 37 crosswise of the dolls head.

While the particular animated doll herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: a

1. An animated doll comprising a doll-shaped body provided with a hollow head portion having openings distributed in the facial area positioned opposite the mouth and eye areas thereof, means within said head portion rotatably supporting two separate arrays of closely-positionedand differently designed eyeballs individually movable into position opposite the openings in eye areas, means within said head portion supporting several closely spaced arrays of differently designed dentures rotatable about an axis generally normal to the axis of rotation of said arrays of eyeballs and individually into position opposite the opening in said mouth area, and means for driving said means supporting said eyeball and denture arrays, said driving means including gravity-actuated means automatically operable upon being actuated to rotate said arrays of eyeballs in mutually opposite directions as first one and then another array of dentures is rotated into position, said eyeballs and dentures rotating sequentially into stationary positions behind said eye openings and said mouth opening respectively.

2. A doll as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said gravity actuated means includes a pivoting pendulum.

3. A doll as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said gravity actuated means includes a spring-biased pendulum having ratchet drive means interconnecting said pendulum and said eyeball and denture supporting means, said ratchet drive means being operable to index sets of said eyeballs and said dentures to successive new positions only during swinging movement of said pendulum in one direction and means holding said sets of eyeballs and said dentures against movement while said pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction.

4. A doll as defined in claim 2 characterized in the provision of a swinging arm protruding from the interior of the doll and including an outer end located exteriorly of said doll and operatively connected to said pivoting pendulum for to-and-fro swinging movement in unison therewith.

5. A doll as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of manually operated means having a portion thereof manipulatable from the exterior of said doll and operable to rotate a different pair of said eyeballs into viewing position along with one array of said dentures.

6. A doll as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said manually operable means is manipulatable to initiate operation of said gravity responsive means to rotate successive pairs of said eyeballs and an associated one of said arrays of dentures into viewing positions in sequence.

7. Aldoll as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the upper portion of the dolls head is removable, and said means within said doll rotatably supporting said arrays of eyeballs and dentures being part of a unitary assembly removable as a unit through the top of said doll head when the upper portion of said head is detached.

8. A doll as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said gravity-actuated means includes pendulum means operatively connected to said eyeballs and to said dentures pivotally supported for swinging movement crosswise of the interior of said doll.

9. A doll as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said swinging arm projects outwardly from the top of the dolls head and supports a tassel having the appearance of a hat tassel for the top of the dolls head. 

1. An animated doll comprising a doll-shaped body provided with a hollow head portion having openings distributed in the facial area positioned opposite the mouth and eye areas thereof, means within said head portion rotatably supporting two separate arrays of closely-positioned and differently designed eyeballs individually movable into position opposite the openings in eye areas, means within said head portion supporting several closely spaced arrays of differently designed dentures rotatable about an axis generally normal to the axis of rotation of said arrays of eyeballs and individually into position opposite the opening in said mouth area, and means for driving said means supporting said eyeball and denture arrays, said driving means including gravityactuated means automatically operable upon being actuated to rotate said arrays of eyeballs in mutually opposite directions as first one and then another array of dentures is rotated into position, said eyeballs and dentures rotating sequentially into stationary positions behind said eye openings and said mouth opening respectively.
 2. A doll as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said gravity actuated means includes a pivoting pendulum.
 3. A doll as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said gravity actuated means includes a spring-biased pendulum having ratchet drive means interconnecting said pendulum and said eyeball and denture supporting means, said ratchet drive means being operable to index sets of said eyeballs and said dentures to successive new positions only during swinging movement of said pendulum in one direction and means holding said sets of eyeballs and said dentures against movement while said pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction.
 4. A doll as defined in claim 2 characterized in the provision of a swinging arm protruding from the interior of the doll and including an outer end located exteriorly of said doll and operatively connected to said pivoting pendulum for to-and-fro swinging movement in unison therewith.
 5. A doll as defined in claim 1 characterized in the provision of manually operated means having a portion thereof manipulatable from the exterior of said doll and operable to rotate a different pair of said eyeballs into viewing position along with one array of said dentures.
 6. A doll as defined in claim 5 characterized in that said manually operable means is manipulatable to initiate operation of said gravity responsive means to rotate successive pairs of said eyeballs and an associated one of said arrays of dentures into viewing positions in sequence.
 7. A doll as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the upper portion of the doll''s head is removable, and said means within said doll rotatably supporting said arrays of eyeballs and dentures being part of a unitary assembly removable as a unit through the top of said doll head when the upper portion of said head is detached.
 8. A doll as defined in claim 7 characterized in that said gravity-actuated means includes pendulum means operatively connected to said eyeballs and to said dentures pivotally supported for swinging movement crosswise of the intErior of said doll.
 9. A doll as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said swinging arm projects outwardly from the top of the doll''s head and supports a tassel having the appearance of a hat tassel for the top of the doll''s head. 